Boston Tree Party: Imagining our Cities Filled with Fruit Trees

[marmar]

from Civil Eats:



Boston Tree Party: Imagining our Cities Filled with Fruit Trees
July 15th, 2011 By Lisa Gross


Imagine our cities filled with fruit trees and I don’t mean fruit trees planted by the side of the road dropping fruit on your car once they’re overripe. I mean fruit trees planted in civic spaces—schools, hospitals, parks, businesses, houses of worship, and more.

Imagine communities coming together to care for their trees, to harvest and share their fruit. These trees become a tool of environmental restoration, helping to restore the health of our soil, improve air quality, and absorb rainwater runoff. From them we learn, participate, and connect to the social and natural world around us. This is the vision of the Boston Tree Party.

At its core, the Boston Tree Party is a diverse coalition of organizations, institutions, and communities coming together in support of civic fruit. We’re calling for the planting of fruit trees in civic spaces and we’re promoting the fruits of civic engagement.

Over the past three months since our launch on April 10, 2011, more than 50 communities from all over greater Boston have come together to form delegations and plant pairs of heirloom apple trees all over the city. Many of these delegations were partnerships of two or more groups, and each delegation received a tree planting kit with everything they needed to plant and grow two glorious apple trees. To support these communities we’ve created the Apple Alliance and the Apple Corps. The Apple Alliance, a partnership between several Boston based gardening education organizations, will work together with our official Pomologists, John Bunker and Michael Phillips, to offer free and low-cost holistic apple tree care workshops starting next spring. The Apple Corps, a youth corps developed in partnership with YouthBuild Boston, will operate as an extension service of sorts, offering advice and support to participating delegations. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://civileats.com/2011/07/15/boston-tree-party-imagining-our-cities-filled-with-fruit-trees/

[OneGrassRoot]

1. K&R, with thanks. :) n/t

[HopeHoops]

2. "At its core" (snicker)

[Richard D]

3. This is such a common sense idea

Ornamental trees are nice, but if fruit trees were planted it would be so much more sensible.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, marmar.:thumbsup:

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Their name could and will confuse some people as to their aims.

[OnionPatch]

6. It's so good to see this!

I always shake my head at all the plants we spend so much money maintaining only for their ornamental values. It would be so much more sensible to put the space and effort toward plants that actually produce food.

[Silent3]

7. As long as they don't start wearing hats...

...with lots of little trees hanging from the brims.

[RC]

8. This will last till people start walking on rotting fruit.

Planting trees good, but this needs a little more thought.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. That is when you provide jobs by having groundskeepers doing daily maintenance

on the trees. Or, have it one of the court-ordered 'community service' jobs. There's never any shortage of people who can keep the parks neat and clean.

Fruit trees can be a bit of a bother for homeowners (though it is not so much as people believe) but there is no reason why public trees should be a problem.